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The year 1956 saw Louisiana prohibit integrated bands. We all do 'do re mi,' but you have got to find the other notes yourself. His notoriety for being the best jazz player of his time was secured as Armstrong's arrangement of swing and melodic development opened out and changed Henderson's band and in addition jazz overall. In June 1951 he reached the Top Ten of the LP charts with Satchmo at Symphony Hall ("Satchmo" being his nickname), and he scored his first Top Ten single in five years with "(When We Are Dancing) I Get Ideas" later in the year. Meanwhile, Armstrong's reputation as a musician continued to grow: In 1918, he replaced Oliver in Kid Ory's band, then the most popular band in New Orleans. Louis Armstrong was an American jazz musician who was one of the most influential figures in jazz music. Louis was arrested by Police When he was eleven. Different from most of his recordings of the era, the song features no trumpet and places Armstrong's gravelly voice in the middle of a bed of strings and angelic voices. Willies habit of devoting all his attention to his second, Because firing guns to welcome in the New Year was a New Orleans custom, he thought (even at 11 years old) that it would be morally acceptable to fire the gun. Louis Armstrong was important in the 1920's because he put a whole new meaning to jazz. One day, they even advanced him the $5 he used to buy his very first horn. Nobody did what Louis could do. Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington "Jazz Louis Armstrong used to give away laxatives as gifts. Why Louis Armstrong's "West End Blues" is Important Louis Armstrong. After completing the optimistic anthem, songwriters Bob Thiele and George David Weiss thought that Tony Bennett would eat it right up. It won him a Grammy for best vocal performance. Midway through the recording session, he accidentally dropped them and scatted to fill the ensuing silence. He adds, "He was also more than a jazz musician he was an enormously popular entertainer"(pp. He dropped out of school at 11 to join an informal group, but on December 31, 1912, he fired a gun during a New Year's Eve celebration, and was sent to reform school. His influence, both as an artist and 2023 Minute Media - All Rights Reserved. The many years of constant touring eventually wore down Armstrong, who had his first heart attack in 1959 and returned to intensive care at Beth Israel Hospital for heart and kidney trouble in 1968. Armstrong could make an audience cheer, but Roy Eldridge, made those top and bottom notes feel like a natural part of what the horn should do (Friedwald 21). Sources: The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. Born in 1901 in New Orleans, Louisiana, Armstrong had a difficult childhood. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. Ironically, Armstrong later wrote the whole thing off as a big blunder on his part. Louis Armstrong After being released at age fourteen, he worked selling papers, unloading boats, and selling coal from a cart. Aristotle did not consider children as morally responsible as adults because they have not had sufficient time to move beyond their backgrounds and upbringing. He also played as a second trumpet for King Oliver. He grew up in New Orleans where he introduced to jazz and he went on to spread jazz throughout different cities such as Chicago and New York. Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. Armstrong put his career in Glaser's hands and asked him to make his troubles disappear. Louis Armstrong: Genius and Drugs Louis Armstrong was the most important and influential musician in jazz history. One of the first soloists on record, Louis was at the forefront of changing jazz from ensemble-oriented folk music into an art form that emphasized inventive solo improvisations. In September, his recording of that song entered the charts, becoming a Top Ten hit. Armstrong returned to New York with his band for an engagement at Connie's Inn in Harlem in May 1929. In a strange turn of events, it was during this tour that Armstrong's career fell apart: Years of blowing high notes had taken a toll on Armstrong's lips, and, following a fight with his manager Johnny Collins who already managed to get Armstrong into trouble with the Mafia he was left stranded overseas by Collins. Armstrong fought back, but for many young jazz fans, he was regarded as an out-of-date performer with his best days behind him. He married Lillian Harden, the pianist in the Oliver band, on February 5, 1924. Here are 10 facts about the life of one of the 20th century's most important jazz musicians. Unhappy, Armstrong left Henderson in 1925 to return to Chicago, where he began playing with his wife's band at the Dreamland Caf. (Cayton, 462) Armstrong was the king of jazz trumpet players. As if it were not enough that Armstrong would rewire instrumental music for the rest of the century, his singing did the same for vocal music. He performed in Europe for the first time in 1932 and returned in 1933, staying for over a year because of a damaged lip. Each of the books on jazz music will mention his name. He also learned to sing. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. Wiki User. Armstrong continued recording for Decca in the late 1940s and early '50s, creating a string of popular hits, including "Blueberry Hill," "That Lucky Old Sun," "La Vie En Rose," "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" and "I Get Ideas. Some even theorize that it was Armstrongs difficult upbringing that made his music so wise, so unique, and so revolutionary. However, conditions changed when he was requested to record the title number of a broadway show that went on to become a hit. This essay will have an introduction of the king of jazz music -- Louis Armstrong and his great influence on jazz history. One of the greatest cornet players in town, Joe "King" Oliver, began acting as a mentor to the young Armstrong, showing him pointers on the horn and occasionally using him as a sub. He fused the jazz style of the place where he grew up with well known jazz of Broadway to coordinate a better than ever kind of jazz. (1964), the latter knocking the Beatles off the top of the pop charts at the height of Beatlemania. In fact, before marrying his fourth wife, he made sure that she could cook a satisfactory plateful. He took a position as star soloist in Carroll Dickerson's band at the Savoy Ballroom in Chicago in March 1928, later taking over as the band's frontman. Hes a professional jazz performer who played with Oliver and Henderson. The first important trend in New York Jazz was Hot Jazz that was an incendiary style introduced by Louis Armstrong (Winfield 170). Here is one paragraph from the post: From the very first note of West End Blues, a tune composed by Joe King Oliver, one can immediately sense the shift that He was known for both his joyous ways with the trumpet and his peculiarly touching and funny vocal style. Larkin states, "It is impossible to overstate Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong's importance in jazz." This is where Armstrong first fell in love with music; he would listen to people playing any chance that he would get(Tirro). He was from a very poor family and was sent to reform school when he was twelve after firing a gun in the air on New Year's Eve. Copy. During his time there, he learned how to play the bugle cornet, an instrument that is similar to the trumpet. He returned to performing in 1970 but it was too much, too soon and he passed away in his sleep on July 6, 1971, a few months after his final engagement at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. WebLouis Armstrongs ability to use his career to change the music and jazz industry forever is another great example of why Louis Armstrong exhibits the right. Armstrong used to say that hed been born on July 4, 1900. He would attend parades, funerals, churches and go to cheap cabarets to be able to hear some of the greats play, Little Louis sung in a vocal quartet in his early teens. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana on August 4, 1901. The letters, dated as far back as 1968, prove that Armstrong had indeed always believed Sharon to be his daughter, and that he even paid for her education and home, among several other things, throughout his life. But Armstrong also became an enduring figure in popular music due to his distinctively phrased baritone singing and engaging personality, which were on display in a series of vocal recordings and film roles. His fame rose when he composed several masterworks in the 1940s. The man was Louis Armstrong. These views changed in 1957, when Armstrong saw the Little Rock Central High School integration crisis on television. Armstrong completed his contract with Decca in 1954, after which his manager made the unusual decision not to sign him to another exclusive contract but instead have him freelance for different labels. The brilliance of his playing, the warmth of his vocals, and his integrity as a human being simply inspires me. It has given me something to live for. 149 Copy quote. he put his soul and dedicated his life to his music. He performed less frequently in the late '60s and early '70s, and died of a heart ailment in 1971 at the age of 69. Why A jazz pioneer, Louis Armstrong was the first important soloist to emerge in jazz, and he became the most influential musician in the music's history. In 1924, Armstrong married Hardin, who urged Armstrong to leave Oliver and try to make it on his own. As a trumpet virtuoso, his playing, beginning with the 1920s studio recordings he made with his Hot Five and Hot Seven ensembles, charted a future for jazz in highly imaginative, emotionally charged improvisation. Mozart, in his own traditional ways, the right away he did the first three of his 22 performances at that opera. He worked for to get his instrument because his mother couldn't afford to buy him one. One of the first many New Orleans style jazz artists is Jelly Roll Morton. Louis Armstrong was born in New Orleans Louisinana, to Mayann, and Willie Armstrong. Louis does a really important trip to Africa this were the states or cities that he went with Cameroon, the Belgian Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Sierra Leone Jul 6, 1971. The sadest event Two days after his birthday of turning 70, Louis He attended Colored Waifs Home in 1913 for eighteen months. .State Department and earning the nickname "Ambassador Satch." A young pianist from Pittsburgh, Earl Hines, assimilated Armstrong's ideas into his piano playing. Armstrong continued to tour extensively, despite a heart attack in June 1959. He was soon able to stop working manual labor jobs and began concentrating full-time on his cornet, playing parties, dances, funeral marches and at local "honky-tonks"a name for small bars that typically host musical acts. Rock Icon KISS Is Saying Goodbye (For Real), DOWNLOAD BIOGRAPHY'S LOUIS ARMSTRONG FACT CARD, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads, Name: Louis Armstrong, Birth Year: 1901, Birth date: August 4, 1901, Birth State: Louisiana, Birth City: New Orleans, Birth Country: United States, Best Known For: Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader and singer known for songs like "What a Wonderful World, Hello, Dolly, Star Dust and "La Vie En Rose., Astrological Sign: Leo. He influenced other jazz musicians by his fearless trumpet styles and distinctive vocals. His career spanned many decades, from the 1920s to his death in 1971, and many different eras in jazz. 1 slot in May 1964, and knocking the Beatles off the top at the height of Beatlemania. He also began appearing in the orchestra of Hot Chocolates, a Broadway revue, and was given a featured spot singing "Ain't Misbehavin'." Armstrong was the primary ever "Genius" of jazz music. When Louis Armstrong was placed in a boys home as a young boy, he was presented with the opportunity to play the cornet. The Hot Fives' recording of "Muskrat Ramble" gave Armstrong a Top Ten hit in July 1926, the band for the track featuring Kid Ory on trombone, Johnny Dodds on clarinet, Lillian Harden Armstrong on piano, and Johnny St. Cyr on banjo. The lights dim, and the velvet curtains slide open. He had a string of pop hits beginning in 1949 and started making regular overseas tours, where his popularity was so great, he was dubbed Ambassador Satch.. The Information Architects maintain a master list of the topics included in the corpus of A local Jewish family, the Karnofskys, gave young Armstrong a job collecting junk and delivering coal. He was taken under the wing of cornetist Joe "King" Oliver, and when Oliver moved to Chicago in June 1918, Armstrong replaced him in the Kid Ory Band. See answer (1) Best Answer. Armstrong began to sing on the records, creating a new form of singing, scat singing. Armstrong sang his heart out on the number, thinking of his home in Queens as he did so, but "What a Wonderful World" received little promotion in the United States. Sure enough, he explained, they [published] Heebie Jeebies the same way it was mistakenly recorded. However, most biographers believe that Armstrong made up this anecdote and had planned on scatting all along. He was especially known for his spectacular trumpet playing, unmistakable voice, and exceptionally recognizable, broad smile., In three years they recorded over 60 records, which now are considered the most influential recordings in jazz history. On New Year's Eve in 1912, Armstrong fired his stepfather's gun in the air during a New Year's Eve celebration and was arrested on the spot. Armstrong practiced his instrument and eventually he became the jazz great everyone knows today. Armstrong could make an audience cheer, but Roy Eldridge, made those top and bottom notes feel like a natural part of what the horn should do (Friedwald 21). LOUIS ARMSTRONG https://www.britannica.com/facts/Louis-Armstrong, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1990), jazz: The cornetist breaks away: Louis Armstrong and the invention of swing. Armstrong was featured in the 1969 film of Hello, Dolly!, performing the title song as a duet with Barbra Streisand. He returned to Chicago in the spring of 1932 to front a band led by Zilner Randolph; the group toured around the country. ", During the mid-'50s, Armstrong's popularity overseas skyrocketed. In recent years, Armstrong's alleged daughter, who now goes by the name Sharon Preston Folta, has publicized various letters between her and her father. Satchmo didn't let the criticism stop him, however, and he returned an even bigger star when he began a longer tour throughout Europe in 1933. If Armstrong never bought the cornet he would have never become famous. He moved to the Fate Marable band in the spring of 1919, staying with Marable until the fall of 1921. Clarence, who had become mentally disabled from a head injury he had suffered at an early age, was taken care of by Armstrong his entire life. His mother, Mayann, was 15 years old when he was born and his father, Willie, abandoned them soon after. While not officially government-sponsored, there are some who believe the concert was arranged by the CIA, which would make this just one of the many taxpayer-funded appearances hed make abroad during the Cold War in an effort to strengthen diplomatic relations overseas. A series of new biographies on Armstrong made his role as a civil rights pioneer abundantly clear and, subsequently, argued for an embrace of his entire career's output, not just the revolutionary recordings from the 1920s. After a quick trip with a group of people to Venice, Mozart and his daddy returned back to his hometown Salzburg. WebThrough the internet and books we find out why Louis Armstrong is such a great person to learn about. Similarly, many of his most influential recordings, like 1928's "West End Blues" and 1955's "Mack the Knife," have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Doctors advised him not to play but Armstrong continued to practice every day in his Corona, Queens home, where he had lived with his fourth wife, Lucille, since 1943. His crucial contribution to American and world culture continues to reverberate into the 21 st century. What A Wonderful World: Louis Armstrongs Iconic Ballad It is said that during a session, Armstrong dropped his sheet music and started mimicking the sounds of the horn with his voice. Previously, Armstrong had performed throughout Europe, Asia, and Africathough he famously canceled a planned 1957 Soviet Union tour, citing the recent Little Rock crisis. Shortly thereafter, Armstrong bragged about the child to his manager, Joe Glaser, in a letter that would later be published in the book Louis Armstrong In His Own Words (1999). Study now. Armstrong's new manager, Joe Glaser, organized a big band for him that had its premiere in Indianapolis on July 1, 1935; for the next several years, he toured regularly. Jews Who Adopted Louis Armstrong ", Armstrong signed with Columbia Records in the mid-'50s, and soon cut some of the finest albums of his career for producer George Avakian, including Louis Armstrong Plays W.C. St. Louis Cardinals prospect Jordan Walker tracks down a flyball during fielding practice at the Cardinals spring training complex in Jupiter, Fla. on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. One of the most important figures in 20th century music, Armstrong's innovations as a trumpeter and vocalist are widely recognized today, and will continue to be for decades to come. Then, at the age of five, he was returned to the care of his mother, who at the time worked as a laundress. Armstrong felt that being subservient to white people, was an unfortunately necessary evil in order for him to live successfully and happily. Louis Armstrong He embarked on his first European tour since 1935 in February 1948, and thereafter toured regularly around the world. Louis Armstrong was the first black man in the U.S. to host a radio show. The pistol should have been stored in a locked, Armstrong did not define himself by his background and could have grown up to be just another poor child from a broken home. Related. The family treated Armstrong like a member, bought him his first trumpet, and encouraged his musical aspirations. This gift, coupled with Louis Armstrongs already present affinity for the musical sounds of the local New Orleans street bands and brass players that lingered around, helped to brew the perfect storm that would create one of the most prolific players of the 20th century. Then along came a bare-knuckled comedy called Good Morning, Vietnam (1987). When Wilson tired of living out of a suitcase during endless strings of one-nighters, she convinced Armstrong to purchase a house at 34-56 107th Street in Corona, Queens, New York. Encyclopdia Britannica, and create and manage the relationships between them. Life & Legacy Louis Armstrong Society Jazz Band He weathered the bebop period of the '40s, growing ever more beloved worldwide. In the 1950s, he was sometimes criticized for his onstage persona and called an Uncle Tom but he silenced critics by speaking out against the governments handling of the Little Rock Nine high school integration crisis in 1957. The most important and influential musician in jazz history, and one of the leading singers and entertainers from the 1920s through the '50s. Louis Armstrong was the greatest of all Jazz musicians. In 1993, it gained renewed popularity when it was used in the film Sleepless in Seattle. Louis was born in New Orleans where he grew up and learned to play the trumpet. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. When Pops (who adored Thiele and Weiss masterwork) passed away on July 6, 1971, What a Wonderful World seemed destined for stateside obscurity. Preston gave birth to a daughter, Sharon Preston, in 1955. Why is Louis Armstrong important? - Answers Armstrong's charismatic stage presence impressed not only the jazz world but all of popular music. 232) Armstrong unlike other black jazz men and women, was one of the first to be welcomed in the upper echelons of white society. Copy. West End Blues by Louis Armstrong is one of the most important songs in jazz. Perhaps most importantly, the letters also detail Armstrong's fatherly love for Sharon. Armstrong had gained sufficient individual notice to make his recording debut as a leader on November 12, 1925. Bebop, a new form of jazz, had blossomed in the 1940s. Armstrong spent his youth singing on the street for spare change, but he didnt receive any formal musical training until age 11. He is remembered as the most influential artist in the early development of jazz. Why No ones quite sure why Armstrong lied about his age, but the most popular theories maintain he wanted to join a military band or that he figured he'd have a better shot at landing gigs if he was over 18 years old. Armstrong's popularity continued to grow in Chicago throughout the decade, as he began playing other venues, including the Sunset Caf and the Savoy Ballroom. Pillars of Life 3 y Related Why was jazz so important? In December of that year, he was called into the studio to record the title number for a Broadway show that hadn't opened yet: Hello, Dolly! Evidently, the show went well. His lips were still sore, and there were still remnants of his mob troubles and with Lil, who, following the couple's split, was suing Armstrong. "What a Wonderful World" peaked on the U.S. music charts after Armstrong passed away. Even the scepter of Uncle Tom that shadowed the outsized Satchmo during his career, and that Ellington essentially concurred with in an interview with Carter Harman in 1964, has faded. In July, Armstrong sailed to England for a tour. Personnel changed over the years but this remained Armstrongs main performing vehicle for the rest of his career. Louis Armstrong - Black History Month - LibGuides at (Armstrong did not function as a bandleader in the usual sense, but instead typically lent his name to established groups.) We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. WebAnswer (1 of 2): Armstrongs first brass instrument and initial training was on the cornet, which is generally easier for younger or beginning players to learn and slightly smaller in size. Seems to me it ain't the world that's so bad but what we're doing to it, and all I'm saying is: see what a wonderful world it would be if only we'd give it a chance. In the summer of 1929, Armstrong headed to New York, where he had a role in a Broadway production of Connie's Hot Chocolates, featuring the music of Fats Waller and Andy Razaf. Without the jazz musicians, jazz music would not have been possible. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. An early job working for the Jewish Karnofsky family allowed Armstrong to make enough money to purchase his first cornet. Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader and singer known for songs like "What a Wonderful World, Hello, Dolly, Star Dust and "La Vie En Rose.. He was raised by his mother Mayann in a neighborhood so dangerous it was called The Battlefield. He only had a fifth-grade education, dropping out of school early to go to work. The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic, American actress, singer, director, producer. In fifth grade, while being taken care of by his maternal grandmother most of the time, he left school to work. those works included Cotton Tail and Ko-Ko. Some of his most popular songs included "It Don 't Mean a Thing if It Ain 't Got That Swing," "Sophisticated Lady," "Prelude to a Kiss," "Solitude," and "Satin Doll (Duke Ellington Biography). Renowned for his charming and incredibly charismatic stage presence and voice almost as much as for his trumpet and/or cornet playing, Armstrong 's influence extends far beyond jazz music, and by the end of his career in the early 1970s at his death, he was widely regarded as a deep and profound influence on popular music in general. Despite failing to make a new record for two years, Armstrong remained a fan favorite. He was also a frequent presence on radio, and often broke box-office records at the height of what is now known as the "Swing Era. In addition Armstrong was also an influential singer, demonstrating great dexterity as an improviser, bending the lyrics and melody of a song for expressive purposes., On the 26th day of December in 1788 there was a very great success. His greatest inspiration was Joe King Oliver. By February 1927, Armstrong was well-enough known to front his own group, Louis Armstrong & His Stompers, at the Sunset Caf in Chicago. Blessed with, Armstrong was born in New Orleans on August 4, 1901. To earn money, Armstrong sang on street corners, sold newspapers, and delivered coal. WebThe point is that Armstrong created and codified an entire vocabulary of jazz, setting the standard for vocalists and instrumentalists. He popularized scat singing and was the first musician to have his solo on a recording (Rodgers 85). That same year, he recorded with small New Orleans-influenced groups, including the Hot Five, and began recording larger ensembles. Louis Armstrong was an outstanding jazz musician during the Harlem Renaissance Era. This newfound popularity introduced Armstrong to a new, younger audience, and he continued making both successful records and concert appearances for the rest of the decade, even cracking the "Iron Curtain" with a tour of Communist countries such as East Berlin and Czechoslovakia in 1965. Since New Orleans style jazz known to man, it was one of the broadest genres of jazz. Louis Armstrong: The First Great Jazz Soloist With his daring rhythmic choice, swinging vocabulary, and incredibly high notes; changing jazz history once again. Finding Yourself, Dropping, Halfway. Why is Louis Armstrong important to blacks? Louis Armstrong, also known as Ambassador Satch, was unofficially adopted by a family of Jewish immigrants from Lithuania who had a junk hauling business in Louisiana. How did Louis Armstrong influence others? Though he had finally spoken out after years of remaining publicly silent, he received criticism at the time from both Black and white public figures. He performed all over the world in the 1950s and '60s, including throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. In 1947, the waning popularity of the big bands forced Armstrong to begin fronting a small group, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars. Armstrong accepted, and he was soon taking Chicago by storm with both his remarkably fiery playing and the dazzling two-cornet breaks that he shared with Oliver. Armstrong was arrested at eleven years old for disturbing the peace. Louis was the illegitimate son of William Armstrong and Mary Est Mayann Albert. Heart and kidney problems forced him to stop performing in 1969. While he was beloved by musicians, he was too wild for most critics, who gave him some of the most racist and harsh reviews of his career. Between the two, Armstrong has been the more unsullied figure in historical treatments and biographies. Louis Armstrong You feel butterflies in your stomach as you take your seat. Together with his mom, they moved to a better area of New Orleans. Louis Armstrong was called "the single most important figure in the history of jazz" by Billboard magazine, a publication that tracks the recording industry. Best Known For: Louis Armstrong was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader and singer known for songs like "What a Wonderful World, Hello, Dolly, Star Dust and "La Vie En Rose.. By the end of his teens, Armstrong had grown up fast. During this time, Armstrong taught the band how to swing. With his infectious smile and raspy voice, Louis Armstrong (who actually pronounced his own name "Lewis") won over fans worldwide. He returned to Broadway in the short-lived musical Swingin' the Dream in November 1939. He was born into poverty on August 4, 1901 in the streets of Back o Town (Meckna). In 1938, Armstrong finally divorced Lil Hardin and married Alpha Smith, whom he had been dating for more than a decade. Millions of people, starting in the 1930s until today, have agreed with Louis Armstrongs famous words and have been huge fans of the famous musician. There were many jazz musicians. Since his death, Armstrong's stature has only continued to grow. He is also the first African American celebrity to appear in a major Hollywood movie.